Emotions run high as highest ever number of students get university place on A-level results day

EMOTIONS were running high today as a record number of A-level students were offered a university place.

Ucas head Mary Curnock Cook announced this morning that 424,000 students will be offered their first or second choice of degree course.

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Sarah Strickland celebrates her incredible 3 A* grades at Manchester High School for GirlsCredit: Mercury Press

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The gap between the top boys and girls has narrowed for the first time in five yearsCredit: PA:Press Association

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Fred Dimbleby - son of BBC journalist David - follows in his father's footsteps with a place at Oxford reading historyCredit: PA:Press Association

She told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: "It's 424,000 placed - the highest ever on A-level results day. It's up three per cent on last year.

"It does mean that young people now are something like four per cent more likely to be going to university because, although the population was down a bit this year we've actually seen a rise in the numbers, so that's really good news."

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Credit: Wales News Service

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Loved-up Joseph Reed and Nia Williams both got straight As and will head to the University of Oxford togetherCredit: Wales News Service

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Students are picking up their A-level results today in the hopes of getting their first choice universityCredit: Mercury Press

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The Ucas head said more needed to be done to narrow the gap between students from richer and poorer backgroundsCredit: SWNS:South West News Service

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A student at the Red Maids Girls School in Bristol weeps after getting her A-level resultsCredit: SWNS:South West News Service

The number of A* and A grades was 25.8 per cent - down by 0.1 per cent on last year.

A record number of courses at elite universities will now be up for grabs in clearing today with 40,000 courses available at all institutions.

Students from poorer backgrounds are also seven per cent more likely to go to university according to the figures.

But those who are more advantaged are still two-and-a-half times more likely to be accepted into university.

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Ms Curnock Cook said: "It's still a big issue that we all have to address but it's good to see the numbers going in the right direction.

"What drives improvements in this area is improvements in GCSEs and we're seeing that with all the interventions that the Government has made over many years now.

"Improvements in GSCEs will flow through to better performance at A-level and obviously in to university as well."

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Twins Florence and Alice Sanders White both achieved straight As in the same subjects and will head to Oxford togetherCredit: PA:Press Association

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Sam Adamson with his younger brother Jamie. Sam got top grades in his A-Levels despite breaking his wrist playing rugby, while Jamie sat GCSEs suffering stress fractures to his spineCredit: PA:Press Association

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Abigail Hunter with mum Helen after getting four A*s and a place at Sheffield University to read dentistryCredit: SWNS:South West News Service

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Identical twins Masa and Aya Shannout got identical results and are off to same uni to do identical coursesCredit: Caters News Agency

The gap between the top-performing girls and boys at A-level has also narrowed for the first time in five years.

Boys still continue to achieve more A* grades despite a drop from last year but the gap between the two sexes is smaller.

Girls are still beating the boys though when it comes to A grades - with 25.9 per cent achieving the high grade compared to 25.8 per cent of boys.

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Students at Brighton College, which bagged more than 500 A* and A grades - some of the best results in the countryCredit: PA:Press Association

Twins Amy and Emma Davis jump for joy after receiving their A-level results

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Leila Aval celebrates with her parents after getting three A*s in Biology, Chemistry and Maths to study medicineCredit: Jon Parker Lee Photography Ltd

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Clever Lewis Strannigan celebrates after securing a place at Bath University with his three A* gradesCredit: Wales News Service

Maths is still the most popular subject- accounting for 11 per cent of all entries with 92,163 students taking the exam.

This is followed by English - 84,710 students - and then biology with 62,650 participants.

The number of exams taken has declined by 1.7 per cent, from 850,749 last year to 836,705.

General studies saw the biggest drop in candidates of any subject with entrants falling by just over a third, while computing had the biggest jump.

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Emotions were running high at Red Maids Girls School in Bristol after the A-level results were handed outCredit: SWNS:South West News Service

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Solihull School head girl Leticia Salmon is off to Cambridge while head boy Ben Northam is going to OxfordCredit: London News Pictures

Michael Turner, from the Joint Council for Qualifications, said: "Overall, outcomes are relatively unchanged.

"However, the shift in entry patterns and the introduction of new specifications in reformed subjects could lead to a greater volatility in year-on-year results in some schools and colleges than is experienced in a typical year."

If your A level results are disappointing, don't worry. I got a C and two Us, and I'm currently on a superyacht in the Med.

Celebs were quick to impart their own wisdom on the students, with Jeremy Clarkson reassuring teens that he didn't do great in his exams but was "currently on a superyacht in the Med".

Comedian and actor David Schneider echoed Clarkson's sentiments, tweeting: "If you've not got good #alevelresults, don't worry. I did really well but now waste all my time doing bad jokes and photoshops on Twitter."